Lady
Sarah’s Sinful Desires
Secrets at Thorncliff Manor # 1
Secrets at Thorncliff Manor # 1
By: Sophie Barnes
Releasing April 28, 2015
Avon
Blurb
Welcome
to Thorncliff Manor, where London's elite mix, mingle, and may even find their
heart's desire...
There
are thousands of things Christopher, Viscount Spencer, would rather do than
hunt for a bride, especially since experience has taught him that women are not
to be trusted. Then he finds the intriguing Lady Sarah scrambling around in
Thorncliff's conservatory and he is instantly charmed by her passionate nature.
But why is she so intent on avoiding him?
Lady
Sarah would make the perfect bride for a peer—if not for a tarnished past that
she's hiding from the ton. A stay at Thorncliff Manor was meant to help her
plan for her future, not fall in love. Yet Christopher's kisses are
irresistible, his gallantry enticing. When her secret stands to be revealed,
will the truth ruin their dreams of happiness?
In
a carriage on the way to Thorncliff Manor
1820
“Do you suppose we’ll be arriving
soon?” Rachel asked with an edge of
impatience. “Before leaving the last
posting inn, Mama assured me that it would only be another two hours, but
according to my pocket watch it has already been one hundred and twenty- seven
minutes. To be exact.”
Christopher gazed across at his
younger sister. “I don’t believe Mama
has ever visited Thorncliff
before,” he said, referring to
the Countess of Dun- caster’s large
estate, which she
had turned into a
guesthouse. He and his family would be
spending the summer there. “This makes her estimate regarding the duration of
this journey exactly that—an estimate.”
Rachel didn’t look pleased. “I wish
everyone would appreciate the importance of precision as much as I do.” “Cook does,” Laura said sweetly, directing
Christopher’s attention to another sister.
He had five in total. “I’m sure
she would acknowledge the importance of accuracy. After all, there’s nothing worse than a cake
with too much flour in it.”
“Do you have to encourage her?” Fiona asked. As the youngest of the Heartly
siblings, she had never developed the sort of patience the rest of the brood
possessed.
Christopher frowned, while Rachel’s
face beamed with newfound pleasure as she latched onto Laura’s comment. “Life as we know it would be impossible
without adhering to mathematical and scientific principles. Buildings would fall
to the ground, dough would refuse to
rise, your clothing would be ill- fitting . . . why, I could go on
forever about the effect a lack of structure would have on us all.”
“Must you?” Fiona asked with an
underlying note of dread.
“Why not distract yourself by
contemplating the splendor of our destination?” Christopher suggested. As much
as he loved Rachel, he had little desire to endure a prolonged lecture on
Euclidean geometry or, God forbid, her recent study on the movement of slugs.
“I’ve heard that Thorncliff is magnificent.
Apparently the third Earl of Duncaster wasted no expense when he
expanded it,” Laura said before Rachel could comment. “My friend Lady Harriet visited last year
with her family, and she has assured me that the estate can easily amuse us all
for the duration of our three-month stay.”
“I’ve no doubt about that,” Fiona
said promptly, her eyes lighting, “especially since I’ve every intention of
putting my own time there to good use. I mean to find that jewelry box
Grandmamma spoke of when we were little.”
Christopher stared at her. “What are
you talking about?”
“Don’t you remember? She always said her family in France sent
heirlooms to England during the revolution to prevent them from falling into
the wrong hands. It was all she would have had left of her family after they all perished at the guillotine, but
for un- known reasons, the box
of heirlooms never arrived. I’m
convinced they must be hidden away at Thorn- cliff. Considering Grandpapa’s
close friendship with Lord Duncaster, I—”
“Now that you mention it, I do
recall her saying something to that effect, but I never really put much weight
in it,” Laura said. “You know how badly
Grandmamma suffered the loss of her
family. I always believed her talk of
the jewelry box was her way of hoping a part of them had been left behind and
would eventually come to her.”
“But
she specifically mentioned receiving a letter from her sister, the
Duchess of Marveille, in France,
encouraging her to wait for it—that the
duchess had sent it to England and that
arrangements had been made for it
to be delivered to her.”
“Your memory is certainly to be
admired,” Rachel said, “but I think we must accept that the heirlooms never
left France, as unfortunate as that is.”
“But in her diary,” Fiona insisted,
“Grandmamma wrote of a visit Grandpapa
made to Thorncliff shortly before his death. She wrote that she prayed her husband would
soon return home with the box.” “And
yet she never
received it,” Christopher pointed out.
Fiona sighed. “No, she didn’t.
Grandpapa set sail for France, perishing with the third Earl of Duncaster when
the ship went down.” She sighed, her expression somber, though her eyes
remained sharp with determination. “It’s possible the jewelry box is still at
Thorncliff, in which case, I’ve every intention of locating it. You can count
on that.”
.jpg)
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/02/lady-sarahs-sinful-desires-secrets-at.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23149157-lady-sarah-s-sinful-desires?ac=1
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/136344-secrets-at-thorncliff-manor
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/o5lPP153kEc
Born in
Denmark, Sophie Barnes spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful
places all around the world. She's lived in five different countries, on three
different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish and Romanian.
She has studied design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor's degree from
Parsons. But, most impressive of all, she's been married to the same man three
times—in three different countries and in three different dresses.
While
living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion: writing. When she's
not busy dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her
family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of
course, reading. She currently lives on the East Coast.
Rafflecopter Giveaway (Three
Paperback Copies of LADY SARAH'S SINFUL DESIRES)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
1 comment:
Thank you so much for being part of the tour!
Post a Comment